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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

How to make Curd

Whenever I had Nestle or Amul dahi or the curd from hotels I used to wonder how they got the thick texture which I never could recreate at home.I had almost given up on this when I got a watery mess in the name of curd.Buying store bought curd was becoming a daily routine.My friend Deepthi,who's an expert in making thick curd came to help.They have curd everyday as part of their lunch and she said it's an easy-peasy thing to do.Now I can say proudly that I too can make thick and yummy curd at home!!Here's how..

How to make thick curd

Ingredients

Milk - 1/2 litre(I use Aavin blue packet,fat free-You can use full cream milk too)
Curd - 1 tbsp(If you don't have home made curd,you can use Amul/Nestle dahi)

Method

Boil milk without adding water.
Let it cool a bit.
When it is slightly warm,add 1 tbsp curd and mix well.
Close the lid and keep aside for 10-12 hours(preferably overnight).
Use the same pan in which you boiled the milk for setting the curd,this makes the process faster.Thick and yummy curd is ready!!

Benefits of Curd-Dahi

When milk ferments into curd,40% of the lactose becomes lactic acid,which is easier to digest.Further,100 gms of curd contain 49 gms extra calcium as compared to the same portion of milk.Recent studies also show that Vitamin B complex is an important nutrient for the female reproductive glands and since dahi is rich in these Vitamins-It is highly recommended for women.

35 comments
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I grew up eating curd by the bowlful and the specification was that it should be thick enough to cut into with a spoon - so have carried the same to my home after marriage and now my daughter eats curd by the bowlful!

I have one more tip which (acc to me) makes curd set really well and also improves the taste - setting it in a porcelain, glass or ceramic bowl really makes it thicker. Even those earthernware "chattis" are better than steel because they absorb the extra moisture in the curd and make it thick.

Amul dahi is very tasty but we have always made curds at home and love it, we actually believe that once you add the curds and mix it and cover the curds do not move it till it is set for yummy thick curds.. do not know the logic in this but have grown up with this and follow it too..:)

Medha,thank you.Yes you are right.My amma says the same thing,once you add the curds,close the lid and keep it in a corner untouched.I had this tendency to check if its done by opening it now and then when I set it during daytime.But have stopped now;-)!!

Many years ago, a friend of mine from Guyana introduced me to a meat substitue which from his description in preparation I thought it was "curd". But after reading many many different ways to make curd, the result is not exactly what he ate. His version is also curdled from milk (with lemon) but the end result is a hard curd that can be cut and fried like meat. Would you happen to know how to make that?

My MIL makes the best curd. What she does is she warms the milk a bit, then adds a little sugar to it.Then she adds the curd to it and mixes it well and keeps it aside. And the curd we get is almost perfect.try it!!

Good post.am recently married and ws thnking of helping my sweet wife wth sme mor sort of sweet and easy tips to make our cuking a litle mor enjoyble and easy...Am from kerala and its a fact that making curd in clay pots help a lot to make nice curds.thanx evrybdy for al of urs contributns...Sijo varghese,staf nurse,aditya birla hospital,pune.

Just see to the that the curd that u r using is sour enough...Warm the milk... In a small bowl take some of the warm milk and add the curd to it and stir it really.... Now add this mixture to the rest of the milk and mix it really well again... Cover it and keep it in a warm milk and be sure not to disturb it for 7-8 hrs... :-)

If curd is not setting, there are three possibilities - either the temperature was not right, the 'saheja' ie the curd you used for seeding was so treated that it would not provide live bacilli for making good fresh curd or it was insufficient in amount. Temperature is something to be guessed at actually; I use a steel pot and after boiling milk, let it cool till the pot (bhagauna) is hot but not burning when I swirl the milk around in it. It's the temperature you can tolerate on your hands easily but not on delicate skin like cheek or inner forearm. That is just an approximation so don't burn yourself testing it like that! Then for around 600 ml of milk I add 2 heaped serving-spoons set curd direct from the fridge - that is why I have the milk slightly hotter than the lukewarm required otherwise. For the exact amount you'd have to experiment a bit. Better to add bit by bit and see how it goes. If it cools down a lot, add half a cup of hot milk and mix. Again, adjust according to temperature. Then cover and let it set for 3-6 hours, depending on the room temperature. Top of the fridge is a good place; it is undisturbed and they say slight vibrations are good for it. In winters, I wrap an old sweater or thick clothes all around it, including the top, to keep it warm. You could put it inside one of those insulated casseroles too. Nestle dahi used to give good curds but lately I just can't get anything from them. Many of these processed curds have cultures which will not survive for long and so you get something which is neither curd nor milk. I've had to resort to the neighbourhood milkman who makes his own curd! I believe there are cultures available commercially which you can use to start, and once you have curd, just save some for the next day!

Sorry, this is just too long. Not perfect curd each time, but my mistakes may help you and others!

One sure shot method to get thick curd is to put warm milk in the vessel you want to set, keep this vessel in a hot pack (casserole) and add little curd to the milk and mix it well. Cover the hot pack and keep it closed for few hours. Thick fresh curd is so easily made at home!!!

Use boiled milk without adding water.Let it cool a bit.When the milk is little more than warm, add little curd and mix well. Pour this milk into the vessel you want to set the curd in.Keep this vessel in a hot pack and close the hot pack tight. Thick curd will be ready in few hours.

Thanks for the lovely post Divya; and thanks everyone else too for their tips/suggestions.

Divya, I use the same method as described by you. And it used to give me perfect curd when I was in Chennai - the hot weather there was perfect for prefect results!

Ever since I came to Pune, I try to resort to wrapping the curd with a cloth, or directly setting the curd in a casserole itself. but my problem is NOT runny curd, but this curd which neither sets nor is runny. It actually sticky and gooey kinds, and gives a not-so-good look for a curd :(Is it because of the rainy or ever-so-cool season here in Pune (temperature wise its almost like Bangalore, but doesn't rain unexpectedly)?

What should I do?? I have again started buying curd from market.. but its a pain.. its VERY VERY costly! and it pains for me to spend so much when I know it could easily be done at home!!

i am also having the same problem like Priyanka. I live in Bangalore and it's cold here in the night. I used to prepare curd but from the past one month it's giving the same result as described by Priyanka, sticky kind. I am using the same milk from so many months, which is best here. I have tried casserole as well as plastic tumbler with warm milk only but none worked out. :( Please help.